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Yui, please be my girlfriend
According to an Oricon survey, ‘Koibito ni shitai hito’ (the person you want as your boy/girlfriend), uber-popular actress Yui Aragaki (Gakky) took the top spot in the ranking which also featured fellow Uchinanchu Yukie Nakama (#4) and Aya Ueto (#6). It’s no surprise to see her rank at the top because she’s definitely cute and…
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Yu Yamada cast as Nodame’s rival – Tokyograph
Actress Yu Yamada has been revealed as part of the cast of the upcoming ‘Nodame Cantabile’ drama special, scheduled to air on January 4-5 on Fuji TV. Yamada plays Son Rui, a Chinese prodigy who becomes rivals with Nodame. Although Yamada had no prior experience in playing piano, she recently took lessons and practiced on…
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Seibun and Takeshi
Seibun and Takeshi Originally uploaded by uzagaku Both of these utasha, Seibun Tokuhara-sensei (l) and Takeshi Yamauchi-sensei (r), are top singers in Okinawa. Here they’re jamming kachashi at Sushi-Ten in the Waikele Golf Clubhouse.
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Singer Kozue Chinen posts kunkunshi of her song ‘Imenshori Iijima’
In a very cool move, Okinawa minyou singer Kozue Chinen posted kunkunshi (musical notation) of her composition “Imenshori Iijima” on her blog along with the lyrics which are a tribute to her hometown. “Imenshori” means welcome in Iijima (Iejima) dialect and she also links to a YouTube clip of her performing the song.
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Film: J-pop singer Beni Arashiro to make her big screen debut in 2008
With an upcoming single called “BIG BANG” picked as the theme song for TBS’ live American Football broadcast in March of next year, J-pop singer Beni Arashiro will be making her big screen debut in the movie “Bura Bura Ban Ban” based on a manga of the same name. The movie is set to begin…
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Film: Garage Sale’s Gori to star in upcoming Kiriya film
Gori (or Gorie) of the comedic duo Garage Sale has been cast in director Katsuaki Kiriya’s (“Casshern”) upcoming film “Goemon.” The film, about a legendary 16th century ninja named Goemon Ishikawa, is set to be released in 2009. Gori will be playing the role of ninja Sasuke Sarutobi. (Via Twitch.)
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Kanako Horiuchi in Hawaii
Kanako Horiuchi Originally uploaded by uzagaku Singer Kanako “Kaanaa” Horiuchi (who is part of Misako Oshiro’s group of entertainers at her Shimaumui minyou live house) at Sushi-Ten at the Waikele Golf Clubhouse.
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Sign onegaishimasu!
Sadao China Sensei Originally uploaded by uzagaku Sadao China-sensei autographs my copy of his latest album, “Utamaai” (iTunes Store link), which he calls one of his best recordings. He was in town along with utasaa greats Misako Oshiro, Seibun Tokuhara and Takeshi Yamauchi.
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Blogs worth subscribing to from Vision Factory’s artists
Vision Factory, which manages artists like J-hip-pop queen Namie Amuro, has a listing of blogs (Namie is unfortunately not on the list) up on their site. The great thing is that a few of these blogs contain video clips (so they’re closer to vlogs). Below are a few of my faves: hiro (ex-SPEED) – ‘Constanze…
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Shopping: CDJapan has Coco d’Or 2 CD on clearance sale
CDJapan has a clearance sale just in time for X-mas shopping and you’ll find the second album from hiro’s (ex-SPEED) Coco d’Or project on sale at 40% off of its regular ¥3,800 price! The 2006-released clearance sale item is bundled with a bonus DVD (AVCD-16102) containing two music videos.
Karakui 